Clockwork
by akiratalesxo
Summary: Every day was like clockwork. He woke up at the same time. Every minute was scheduled and followed to the second. Anything other than a change was just not accepted. Yet, when he saw her on the bus sleeping peacefully, SHE became the change in his daily activities - not that he minded. Based on a tumblr prompt - may contain OOC.


_Not sure if I have their personalities correct, but I'm hoping the more I practice, the more I get better at it! Enjoy!_

 ** _Clockwork_**

* * *

Sasuke's life was a bit like clockwork. He woke up at the same time every day, never sleeping in for a minute more or less. He always showered for the same amount of time naturally, and his breakfast never strayed from the usual oatmeal and milk. Much like the bus schedules which resided near his apartment building, he always had a period of time to do certain things without fail. He always got on the number sixty-seven bus which arrived at twenty minutes past seven in the morning. He went to work and back alone. He liked it this way, and enjoyed knowing exactly what his day would be like, including the people he would see – such as his best friend Naruto who would always greet him with the same beaming smile which some described as cheerful and bright. And though his ever-lasting joy could be annoying at times, Sasuke enjoyed knowing it was one thing that would never change – as change to him was a bit alarming. Not that he would admit that to anyone.

He even enjoyed seeing the same faces on the bus, with individuals with lives just like his. Like clockwork. Though he never spoke to anybody, he enjoyed eavesdropping on the conversations others had and not getting involved, as well as being surrounded by suits and ties wherever he looked. It was a sight which told him things were constant – just the way he liked it.

However one day when he stepped on the bus at 7:20, as he did everyday, he froze with a lingering but irritating thought at the back of his mind. _Now_ ** _that_** _was different._

A gush of pink was seen amongst the once nicely united suits and ties, and emerald green eyes pierced through the sea of normal brown ones. _Intense and brilliant._ That was how the Uchiha described them. Like a light you saw as soon as you opened your eyes from a deep slumber – they were simply dazzling with a beautiful vivid green. Even the girl's complexion was unlike the rest, as it had a healthy glow emitting from it. She wore a pink cardigan and white, simple summer dress, which flowed to her knees when she sat down on a free seat, and her white tote bag, was fixed around her right arm.

 _She was different. She was a change._

He weaved through the bodies that resided in the bus, and though the bus jerked slightly he held his ground and only knocked the man next to him slightly. He muttered a quick apology, before heading to the usual area he placed himself in, as not only was it near a window where he could observe the passing landscape, but also near a few seats where he could sit if they ever became free – which was a rare luxury on his bus ride to work. Yet instead of the normal old woman who sat in the spot, it was this pink haired girl. Growing more curious at the girl's sudden appearance among what used to be his predictable day of work, he studied her more carefully. Her pink hair grew to just above her shoulders with a loose bang on either side of her face. He mulled over the possibility that her rather abnormal hair colour may have been dyed, but dismissed the thought as he looked to her roots, where he had expected there to be either brown or blonde strays of hair. Surprisingly he was greeted with more pink hair. He then glanced downwards to see her reading a book, he eyes completely fixed on the words put on the thin paper. Her lips were not particularly plump, but looked smooth and thin.

As he stared, a light red started to dust her cheeks as a pretty smile appeared on her lips. She flicked her eyes up suddenly in an attempt to look out the window on for a dark haired and _very_ attractive man to be in her way. Onyx eyes meeting emerald green for a second before she darted her eyes back down to the book, the light red turning into a more intense colour on her cheeks and the smile erasing into her biting her bottom lip.

Though briefly confused by the change in her demeanor, he shrugged it off before turning back his eye line to appreciate the scenes outside of his window.

Another twenty minutes shot by, and when the bus had come to it's fifth stop he could feel the girl shifting slightly in her seat, with her tote bag slightly brushing his side. Once the sound of heels on the ground stopped, he slowly turned his head to the side to find the pink haired maiden getting off the bus. While watching as she exited the bus, he automatically took his place in the seat she was previously in, with the smell of her floral perfume still dawdling in the air.

He had expected this to be the last time to see her, hoping that this anomaly in his constant daily routine would soon be over.

But he was wrong – and soon her ever-growing presence was being shifted into his clockwork like life.

Weeks had grown into months, and the summer turned into the autumn as the leaves grew different shades of red and yellow. Even the atmosphere on the bus had changed, with the sight of suits and ties turning into large black and brown coats and wooly hats to adapt to the colder air. Though once again, she stood out from the rest with her pale pink coat and white scarf hugging her body as she sat in the same place. His eyes could not help but turn to her whenever she entered the bus and exited the bus, and though he was not one for a sweet scent, the floral aroma radiating from her was becoming more like a drug as the days passed by.

The giggles that escaped her lips as she read her novels in the morning were becoming like songs to his ears and though he would dare not to admit it, he quietly enjoyed her company – even if they did not even know one another. Though one Friday morning, he noticed a sudden unlit spark in her complexion, with her tired eyes sucking out the vivid green he had grown to admire. She couldn't even keep her eyes open as she tried to interpret the words of the book, while at the same time keeping an eye on five big carrier bags. Even though he was not looking he could hear the long, quiet breathing, which indicated that she had finally shut her eyes.

Though a few minutes past of him watching the pitter-patter of the rain across the windows, he jolted from his tranquil demeanor into a more alert one. Using the tailor shop on the corner they had just past as an indication, he realized that the girl's stop was coming soon and he turned his head to see her still snoozing. He knelt down in front of the girl, watching her body rise and fall marginally as she slept with a soft smile on her lips. Sasuke then cursed himself for looking at such trivial things only to find he could not stop. Soon, he was caught in a game of 'should he, shouldn't he'. Should he wake her up from what seemed liked the best sleep she had had in days, but also notifying her that he was somewhat creepy for even knowing her stop? Or let her sleep and watch her panic over the fact she had missed her stop? As well as carry on with his usual schedule of the day rather than risking it for something that was the girl's fault in the first place. He assumed that the bags she was carrying in were of some important use to her and wherever she was going, and realized she probably would not get far without some help.

Sighing to himself, he lifted his hand to rest on her shoulder. When she did not react to that he uncharacteristically shook her gently, in all different directions. However she was still not waking from a deep slumber, and from the way the scenery looked, the speed of the bus was decreasing. Shaking her a bit more vigorously her tired eyes soon started to open and the shades of greens that swam in her eyes made him gulp slightly. Her mouth grew agape at the young man in front of her, with his onyx eyes boring into her and she could not help but gasp inwardly as she felt his touch on her.

The bus grinded to a halt, "Your stop is here," Sasuke informed her.

"W-what?" she stuttered out before looking around and realizing indeed that she was at her destination, "Oh my goodness!"

She shot up from her seat with the book hitting Sasuke's knee then bouncing onto the floor next to him. Picking it up with his hands, he watched as she started to frantically grab for the many bags she had at her side, with some falling over and the contents spilling out. A frustrated growl escaped her lips as she kneeled down on the somewhat empty bus, and started to hoist the bags in one hand and messily collect the other contents.

"I can't be late, what a day for this to happen!" she grumbled out, sharp breaths escaping her lips now and again in frustrating at the situation.

Sasuke could hear the doors starting to close and repeatedly pressed the 'stop' button in hopes that the driver would keep them open. Watching as she kept dropping bags, he could not help but feel amused at the pink haired girl's display as the situation started to look worse and worse with each passing second. Yet his outwards expression was one of distaste and he rolled his eyes as the girl muttered to herself a few curse words. While placing the book under his arm, he knelt down as well to help pick up the pens and pencils, as well as _biscuit_ packets that had fallen out. From what he could see, it seemed as though the girl was preparing for an office party

He looked up to find the girl with the bags hanging from her arms and a blush covering her cheeks, "T-thank you so much!" she said in a grateful manner.

He gave a quick nod before shooting up from the spot with all the items in his hands before saying, "Quickly get of the bus, we'll sort it out outside as all these damn things are either broken or falling out,

A worried expression appeared onto the girl's face, "Y-you really don't have to. What about your stop!?" she yelped.

Sasuke sighed. It could not be helped, "The bus comes every so often, not like I'm going anywhere interesting,"

A smile adorned her lips and she shifted herself to the door that was still open while ignoring the eyes of angry travellers who were more than frustrated with the delay she had caused – which slightly annoyed Sasuke. If everyone hadn't of stood there and not helped in the first place, then their delay would have been much shorter. Before stepping off the bus, he sent an angry glare at the man near the door who had made a comment about the girl's clumsiness and 'stupidness'.

"I'm so sorry about that,"

"Don't worry about it, it happens," Sasuke commented, pondering on why he had not just left her to it in the first place, "what are all these bags for anyway?"

She smiled with her teeth at this, "I'm having a party soon! I needed to get all this stuff to use there but my stupid friends hadn't come to pick up the stuff like they were supposed to. So I ended up with all of this."

Accepting the valid expression, he nodded to her before putting one hand out to grab a hold of the mangled bag. She gratefully accepted his help and handed it over though not letting go as he tried to hold it with one arm. Once secured she let go, put her own bags down and started to take the biscuits and pencils from one hand and place them in the ripping bag as well. He watched as her eyelashes pounced up and down as she blinked and noticed how well they framed her eyes. He even admired the rose colour upon her cheeks, which had appeared once more

"Mind me asking how you knew this was my stop?" she asked abruptly.

Ah, the question he was hoping would not come up. Shifting his eyeline to the side, where he watched the people on the streets pass them, he tried his best to avoid answering the question. Yet he could feel her eyes boring into him and the awkwardness silence was slightly annoying him (though he was used to it with other people).

"I saw you sleeping, and thought you'd be upset if you missed your stop," he answered honestly, "I just did what anybody would do if they had known,"

"Not true," she said, with her eyes fixed on his face, "Most people would actually have just let me sleep. Tell me have you been watching me?"

The way she spoke and phrased her question, along with the smirk on her lips suggested she had captured his stolen glances of her during the past months, and he growled to himself about how he should have kept his curiosity to himself.

Sensing his slightly agitated aura, the girl blushed at how she had worded her last sentence, for she knew she also had glanced at him these past few months more than she could count. It was just something about his onyx eyes that delved to deeply she could have fallen into them, and she feared that sometimes she did. Whenever he had leaned his head to the window with his eyes staring into the distance she would gaze at his reflection and admire his eyes hoping not to get noticed. She even liked the look of his black locks of hair and how certain strands fell along his face. She had also noticed whenever she had gotten up to leave that he was extremely tall, and not only did that make him slightly intimidating with his stoic expression and sharp features, but also quite attractive.

"N-no I haven't, I just see you on my bus a lot that's all. It's only natural to start knowing when certain people get off,"

 _"_ _Especially when it's someone like you,"_ he thought to himself.

"I guess so," she said.

The silence which was once been awkward had turned into a more comfortable one.

"Do you want some help with your bags?" he asked,

Her head swiftly darted up and her eyes locked with his, and he saw the happiness and yet puzzled emotions swimming within her emerald orbs and on the inside his heart started racing at the bright aura which radiated from her, "If you don't mind! I'd love some company walking to my office!" she exclaimed, "but before we do that, I think I should introduce myself considering how much you've helped me! My name is Sakura, nice to meet you!"

He nodded in reply to her bubbly greeting, and contemplated how well the name went with her physicality.

"Sasuke," he replied simply, not uttering another word.

"Sasuke," she repeated with a tone of awe, and the way his name rolled off her tongue sounded extremely pleasant.

He smirked while he watched her cheeks turn to a bright red, but a cheerful smile still gracing her lips. Though the day was cold, when he looked at her smile he could not help but allow a sort of warmth to envelop him.

"It's…it's nice to meet you too Sakura,"

* * *

Sasuke's life was a bit like clockwork. He woke up at the same time every day, never sleeping in for a minute more or less. He always showered for the same amount of time naturally, and his breakfast never strayed from the usual oatmeal and milk. He always got on the number sixty-seven bus which arrived at twenty minutes past seven in the morning. He _used_ to go to work and back alone. Though now, he had come across an anomaly – a rather beautiful one with pink hair and emerald eyes. And it always completely disturbed his daily routine. Not that he minded.


End file.
